Pastor calls off Quran-burning, for now

Pakistani protesters rally Thursday in reaction to a small American church’s plan to burn copies of the Quran in Multan, Pakistan. The plans are currently suspended.

Gainesville, Fla.  An anti-Islamic preacher backed off and then threatened to reconsider burning the Quran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, angrily accusing a Muslim leader of lying to him Thursday with a promise to move an Islamic center and mosque away from New York’s ground zero. The imam planning the center denied there was ever such a deal.

The Rev. Terry Jones generated an international firestorm with his plan to burn the Quran on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and he has been under intense pressure to give it up. President Barack Obama urged him to listen to “those better angels” and give up his “stunt,” saying it would endanger U.S. troops and give Islamic terrorists a recruiting tool. Defense Secretary Robert Gates took the extraordinary step of calling Jones personally.

Standing outside his 50-member Pentecostal church, the Dove Outreach Center, alongside Imam Muhammad Musri, the president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, Jones said he relented when Musri assured him that the New York mosque will be moved.

Musri, however, said after the news conference that the agreement was only for him and Jones to travel to New York and meet Saturday with the imam overseeing plans to build a mosque near ground zero.

Hours later, Jones said Musri “clearly, clearly lied to us.”

“Given what we are now hearing, we are forced to rethink our decision,” Jones said. “So as of right now, we are not canceling the event, but we are suspending it.”

Jones did not say whether the Quran burning could still be held Saturday, but he said he expected Musri to keep his word and expected “the imam in New York to back up one of his own men.”

Jones had never invoked the mosque controversy as a reason for his planned protest. He cited his belief that the Quran is evil because it espouses something other than biblical truth and incites radical, violent behavior among Muslims.

But he said Thursday afternoon that he prayed about the decision and concluded that if the mosque was moved, it would be a sign from God to call off the Quran burning.

“We are, of course, now against any other group burning Qurans,” Jones said. “We would right now ask no one to burn Qurans. We are absolutely strong on that. It is not the time to do it.”

Musri thanked Jones and his church members “for making the decision today to defuse the situation and bring to a positive end what has become the world over a spectacle that no one would benefit from except extremists and terrorists” who would use it to recruit future radicals.

After Jones accused him of lying, Musri said the pastor “stretched my words” at the press conference.

“I think there was no confusion to begin with. When we stepped out of the church, we had an agreement to meet in New York,” Musri said. He added that Jones “said his main reason for stopping the event was that it would endanger the troops overseas, Americans traveling abroad and others around the world.”

Musri said he told the pastor “that I personally believe the mosque should not be there, and I will do everything in my power to make sure it is moved,” Musri said. “But there is not any offer from there (New York) that it will be moved. All we have agreed to is a meeting, and I think we would all like to see a peaceful resolution.”

Musri said Thursday night that he still plans to go ahead with the meeting Saturday.

In New York, the leader of the Islamic center project, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, issued a statement saying he was glad Jones had decided not to burn the Quran but that he had spoken to neither the pastor nor Musri.

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Comments

Yeah, but unfortunately the Phelps' Cult is picking up the torch.. Perhaps it won't be seen as quite so inflammatory since they're going to simultaneously burn an American flag, but since the pastor in Florida has recieved hundreds of death threats one can only hope ol' Westboro has stuck their feet too far into the fire this time around.

Why must you trash Muslims by saying they have no regard for truth or life ? Why do you hate Muslims? Did your Mother marry one and then he beat you like an infidel dog?If you talked to him like you talk to most on here, I wouldn't blame him.

Ever hear of "Freedom to worship as you please". Why should he have to move the mosque when he owns the property he wants to build it on.What abut the mosque that has been sitting directly across from the WTC since 1970, It was there before the towers and survived 9/11.I don't see anyone asking it to b3 torn down.You are a fear-monger and will twist anything to frighten others. Get a clue and actually read a Qu'ran before you condemn others. What makes you so superior?

The real fraud here is in the details. Phelps claims to be a preacher, he is only a inciter of hate. Jesus did not support any of the behaviors we have seen with this moron. The guy in Florida is likewise no preacher. He is a malicious, prejudiced, purveyor of hatred, malcontention, and just plain vicious notions. The real fear here is that he has a "congregation" , that he finds hope and comfort with similar minded idiots who support his crusade of maliase (like the Phelps clan).

Of course if the media had just left this vicious little man alone, to stew in his own bile, no one would have ever known that he existed and none of this big show would have ever come to light. I put most of the blame on news media starved for ratings and ad dollars. They are complicit in the glorification of this idiot and his fawning followers.

One can not put a price value on all of the exposure that this man has received and it would not surprise me if Toby Keith writes a song for him. I remember that dreadful song he did after 9/11 "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue" ("'Cos we'll put a boot in your a**, it's the American way") ohhhhh barf!!!
One can only hope that after Saturday this pouf is never heard from again and that his flock of zombies stay hidden

"It's a small but vocal group of Americans in this country pushing this anti-Muslim rhetoric," Ali said. "And unfortunately in our society, whomever shouts the loudest is going to get the most air time."